Have you ever looked at your significant other and thought, geez, that guy needs a makeover? And if they did, what would you change?

This is my heroine’s dilemma in my August release, REDEEMING THE ROGUE. The story begins in London, England in 1881 and moves across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C. Michael Rafferty is a sexy Irishman who is most comfortable in London’s dark underbelly, ferreting out violent Fenians (a group desiring Independence for Ireland) in the hopes of finding the one responsible for the bomb that killed his family. His black hair is unfashionably long and shaggy, his wardrobe is not that of the aristocracy, and he has no need for knowing about the fourteen types of forks and eleven types of spoons on a well-laid Victorian table.

However, when the British minister assigned to Washington D.C. turns up dead. Rafferty believes the one responsible is the man he’s been chasing. The Home Office decides the best way to catch a murderer is for Rafferty to temporarily assume the position of British minister and head of Washington’s ligation. He just doesn’t exactly look the part.

Enter Lady Arianne Chambers, who for reasons of her own, agrees to mold Rafferty into an acceptable diplomat. While they cross the Atlantic she modifies his appearance, teaches him etiquette – that is, when he shows up for lessons – and teaches him to dance in a sort of reverse Pygmalion.

Little did she suspect that Rafferty was transforming her as well. Together they face Washington society, find themselves involved in the assassination of President Garfield, and are forced to defend themselves against charges of treason.

So, my question for you is…if you could change your significant other, what would it be? His hair? His weight? His clothes? His manners?

Let’s talk and I’ll send one person leaving a comment a copy of REDEEMING THE ROGUE.

Donna MacMeans
www.DonnaMacMeans.com

“[Redeeming the Rogue] is pure joy; funny, sexy and exciting.” 4.5 TOP PICK! Romantic Times Bookreviews

“Irish rebellion, smuggled guns, and the assassination of American president James Garfield form a lively backdrop for this sweet, sexy, and smartly told Victorian romance.” — Publishers Weekly

Tomorrow, I head to Philadelphia for Authors After Dark. While I’m away, I have some terrific authors guest-hosting here—some you’ll know, some maybe not—to keep you entertained. Be kind. Post comments. And remember, the Fugly Ring contest continues. Every comment counts as an entry!

Here’s the lineup of guests I have for you:
Wednesday — Donna MacMeans
Thursday — Meg Benjamin
Friday — Marcia James
Saturday — Dennis Clarkston
Sunday —Alice Gaines

Enjoy! Today, I’ll be busy packing and checking my list twice!

Deadlines for submissions for my two Cleis Press anthologies are fast approaching!

I’ve started reading through the submissions for the first anthology I want to fill, Beastly Babes, my lesbian shapeshifter anthology. I’ve gone through 24 stories so far. Several are intriguing. I thought it might be helpful for any of you writers out there to hear some feedback regarding the stories I have and what I hope to still discover.

First, creature features for the stories I’m considering: I have birds (3), a phoenix, wolves (2), selkies (3), a fox, mouse, snake, panther and puma. That doesn’t mean you can’t still submit one of those kinds of stories, but yours had better knock my socks off before I’ll consider sliding more of those animals into the book.

Second, I have plenty of sweet, a couple of funny, what I really want to see are some darker, eerier stories with some edgy kink to help round out the collection. They still have to have that romantic Happy-For-Now. And again, that’s not to say I won’t take more sweet or funny, but your story has to surprise me.

If you have an idea and haven’t started writing it yet, and need a little more time, let me know. The deadline is August 15, but I do have a little wiggle room. If I’m expecting it, I won’t close the door.

For more information regarding the submission guidelines, check out this link:
Beastly Babes Rules

Let me remind you that I have a second collection I am looking to fill, this time hetero cowboy stories. That deadline is the end of this month. For more information, here’s that link:
The Cowboy Rules

In mid-September, I’m going to have a blog tour to promote Enslaved by a Viking. For almost thirty days, I’ll be a gypsy, wandering from one author’s or reviewer’s website to another, big and small. I will tell you where to find me every day, right here.

First, thanks to everyone who offered to host me. Second—what the hell am I going to talk about for thirty days?

That’s where you come in. Help me build a list of blogging topics. I’m used to getting up in the morning and blogging about whatever pops into my mind. Come September, I’ll have to prepare blogs in advance. No spontaneous thought. Yikes!

As for topics, they can be Enslaved story-related topics or not, or just things you might be curious about a writer’s life. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated as I build my list.

**Remember! The Fugly Ring contest continues!
Click on the contest name for details! ~DD

I may be the writer, but sometimes, stories surprise me. That happened in the middle of BAD, BAD GIRLFRIEND. I knew the big climactic scene would be in a strip club. I knew Gabe was going to catch Jolie’s act. What I didn’t know was how the scene would go down—not until I wrote it. I think I wrote this in an hour, snickering to myself the entire time. I hope you enjoy it half as much! ~DD

“Ms. Devlin will have readers laughing one minute and screaming the next… BAD, BAD GIRLFRIEND is a witty, heart pounding smoking hot read that is a must have.” 5 Angels, Fallen Angels

“Bad, Bad Girlfriend is just plain fun!… A great quickie from a great author.” 5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance

“My emotions ran wild while reading Bad, Bad Girlfriend… Don’t miss this mischievous woman’s attempts to secure her man’s love. I had a fantastic time reading Jolie and Gabe’s story.” 5 Silver Dragons, Veiled Secrets Reviews

Expect magic when one determined woman dons a legendary pair of red stilettos and bares body and heart to get her man’s attention…

Jolene’s a big, beautiful woman with an even bigger heart. But she’s become her police officer boyfriend’s favorite doormat and that’s so not working for her. It’s time for a little conversation, time to tell Mr. Happy Pants to “pee or get off the pot”.

Gabriel has seen what his profession does to marriages. He’s not willing to risk that kind of heartbreak. Besides, he likes what he has with Jolene. The woman is sex personified. So when Jolie tells him she won’t see him anymore if he’s not willing to commit, he’s shocked and angry.

With a girlfriend’s encouragement and the added confidence a certain pair of red stilettos gives her, Jolene arranges a special show at a strip club to prove to Gabe once and for all that she’s more woman than any man can handle, and if he doesn’t want the job, then she’ll find another lover who does.

Jolie heard the music, tried to catch the beat, but she’d never been so scared, so embarrassed in her life.

She knew she’d made a huge mistake the minute she’d entered the stripper’s dressing room. Lexie had ushered her in after Guppy, the skinny, bespectacled manager of the strip club, let them in the back door and showed them to the women’s dressing room. She already wore her costume under a tightly belted trench coat, but getting her first up-close look at the other women awaiting their turns on the stage made her lose her nerve.

She turned back toward the exit.
Read the rest of this entry »

The winner of yesterday’s One-Day-Only Contest is at the bottom of this post!
Thanks, everyone, for playing! ~DD

Sexual Tension in Books

by Sayde Grace

Hello everyone! First let me just say a huge thank you to Delilah for letting me take over today!! I’m really excited to be here! Today I’m going to talk about different forms of sexual tension. A few months ago I did an online chat where I talked about adding emotion to your sex scenes. During the chat one of my side topics was sexual tension. Since then I have started a new manuscript where the sexual tension is thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

There are many ways to add sexual tension. Such as adding more serious conflicts between the main characters or on the other end of the spectrum having the characters have no conflicts except wanting each other can add tension. I prefer to have my characters bickering. Now, I was once told that bickering isn’t an element strong enough to build a plot on. That’s true, however using that as a character trait is different. Having a couple with a major plot is your main concept but giving them a trait where when near each other they bicker can create friction between them. That friction can be just the beginning to passion.

That is just one way to create sexual tension. Some authors keep characters touching. A stroke of a hand down an arm will do it. Sometimes the gentle press of lips near flesh but never touching. And even a certain glance will create tension. Little gestures go a long way in tying characters together with readers.

Adding an emotional element to any form of creating sexual tension will draw your readers deeper into the relationship. As a reader I know that what ties me to a character is how something affects that character emotionally. When that character is fighting with the other how does she feel? What are her hidden emotions? By bringing those hidden emotions to your readers they will connect your readers to your characters.

Those emotions can be presented in the smallest ways. Just a thought here or there. A slight sigh. A cuss. A blink. Those little actions can reveal emotions that are behind the sexual tension.

What are things you look for as a reader when it comes to tension,
relationships, or traits?

The winner (by random number generator) is…Christy M! Christy, email me with your address so I can get your package into the mail! Congrats!

For those rest of you, remember, the Fugly Ring Contest continues!

I still have promo stuff to give away that I brought back from Lori Foster’s Readers’ Get-Together. Today, I’m going to give away some of it! What do you have to do? POST A COMMENT—here and/or on the Girls Who Bite blog! Yes, you can enter this contest twice to improve your chance of winning!

This is what today’s bundle includes:

Autographed books:
Assassin’s Heart by Monica Burns
A Taste of the Nightlife by Sarah Zettel
Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

Autographed excerpt booklet from Donna MacMeans and Susan Gee Heino

Assorted stuff (some of it signed as well!)…bookmarks, trading cards, excerpt booklets from:
Carina Press, Liz Arnold, Sidney Ayers, Anya Bast, Dana Marie Bell, Cheryl Brooks, Monca Burns, Mary Burton, Virna DePaul, Lila DiPasqua, Jess Granger, Donna Grant, Marcia James, Jade Lee, Michelle Levigne, Michelle Miles, Nancy Naigle, Zinobia Renquist, Sidney Somers, Catherine Stang, Renee Vincent, Emma Wildes, Beth Williamson, and more!

No doubt, I’ll throw some of my stuff in as well! So, what can you comment about? How about this?

There’s many a good tune played on an old fiddle. ~Samuel Butler